According to Plato, is it true that we can only possess knowledge if it is innate?

Plato's philosophy posits that knowledge is primarily innate and is not simply acquired through experience. He believed in the theory of recollection, which suggests that learning is essentially a process of rediscovering knowledge that the soul already possesses from prior existence. According to this view, individuals have access to universal truths through their reason, but they must recall those truths through philosophical inquiry or education.

For Plato, the distinction between knowledge and mere belief is crucial; knowledge is tied to the understanding of eternal forms or ideals, which he considered to be innate. This contrasts with the idea that knowledge is solely derived from sensory experiences or empirical observations, indicating that he firmly held the view that the roots of knowledge lie within us, waiting to be recognized rather than learned anew from the external world. Thus, the assertion that we can only possess knowledge if it is innate aligns with Plato's philosophical stance.